Strawberry Almond Paste Shortbread Bars Recipes

ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously butter (or use baking spray) on a half sheet pan (approximatedly 18"x13"). Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs and almond extract. Beat until combined. Slowly add in flour mixture. Mixing until well blended.
• Press this dough into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Use your fingers or a pastry roller to smooth the top of the dough.
• Using a pastry brush, brush the milk to the top of the dough (you may not need to use all of it). Sprinkle with sliced almonds, pressing them lightly into the dough.
• Bake for 20-22 minutes until done. You don't want to brown these bars.
• Cool for about 5 minutes, then cut them with a knife into bars. If they are too soft to cut, allow to cool a little bit more. Carefully remove them to a wire rack to continue cooling.
• Once cooled, you can make your glaze by whisking the sugar with the almond extract and milk. Drizzle over the bars and allow to set.
• Enjoy!

NO-BAKE HEALTHY STRAWBERRY-ALMOND CEREAL BARS

Steps:

• Spray an 8-inch square baking pan and a wooden spoon with cooking spray.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and salt and stir with the prepared spoon until the marshmallows have completely melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the almond butter and vanilla.
• Add the rice cereal and strawberries and stir until the mixture is fully combined. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly for a few minutes. Stir in the white chocolate chips. (They will melt slightly.)
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Let stand at room temperature until firm, about 20 minutes. Cut into 9 bars. Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2 days.

ALMOND SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Blend and pulse the 1/2 cup nuts in a food processor with the sugar until mixture resembles coarse sand. (If there are a couple small chunks of nuts that is fine.) Add the butter, vanilla and almond extracts, and the salt, and pulse until creamy. Add the flour and continue to pulse to make a soft dough.
• Turn the dough out into a 9-inch tart pan and spread it out evenly with an off-set spatula. Dip the spatula in a little warm water to help smooth and even the surface of the shortbread. Cover and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and dock (prick) the dough all over with a fork. Generously sprinkle the top of the shortbread with sugar. Toss the remaining whole almonds in the egg white; evenly arrange and press the nuts into the dough around the edge of the pan. Bake until golden brown and set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Cool the short bread in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the tart ring and cut the shortbread with a sharp knife into wedges, each with a nut. Cool shortbreads on a rack completely. (Alternatively present the shortbread as 1 large cookie. Cool the shortbread in the pan completely and remove the tart ring. Cut the shortbread into wedges as desired.) Serve. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

FRESH STRAWBERRY ALMOND PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In small bowl, stir together all crust ingredients. Press on bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool completely.
• Mash enough strawberries to equal 1 cup. In 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in mashed berries and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (8 to 15 minutes). Boil 1 minute; remove from heat.
• Stir in salt and almond extract; cool 10 minutes. Fill baked crust with remaining fresh strawberries; pour cooked mixture over fresh berries. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and walnuts if desired.

STRAWBERRY SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line an 8x8-inch pan with enough parchment paper to have an overhang on all sides.
• Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Mix in flour, salt, and baking soda until just combined. Using floured hands, press dough evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake until edges of the crust just begin to brown, 12 to 16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Place sliced strawberries into a large bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Toss to combine. Pour strawberries evenly over the crust. Place pan back into the oven and bake until strawberries have softened, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature in the pan.
• Place strawberry jam in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds, or until slightly runny. Brush melted jam over the top of strawberries, and allow the bars to finish cooling completely in the pan. Carefully lift bars out of the pan using the parchment edges, and cut into 9 bars. Store in the refrigerator.